Month: February 2009

I’ve heard from Julie Luse, the editor and publisher of Delight, trying to clarify about the sort of people that Delight serves. All recipes are gluten-free, as the name suggests, but most of the recipes are also dairy-free and egg-free. Recipes that are not dairy free usually have suggestions for substitutions. This magazine is mainly targeted at the GFCF community. For those who suffer from further food allergies and intolerances, Delight includes recipes that are soy-free, rice-free, nut-free, and vegan. There is something for everybody and a helpful index in the back to help you quickly find the recipes that suit your needs. Julie would also like to add that this magazine is quite focused on cooking, with somewhat less of an emphasis on other aspects of the gluten-free, casein-free lifestyle.

We’ve already mentioned the free online GF magazine, Easy Eats, and the classic ‘zine on the shelves, Living Without. Now we have the pleasure of adding a new, glossy magazine to the list of GF reading options: Delight gluten free Magazine. One of our GF blog friends, Delightfully Gluten Free, is involved in the creation of this visually appealing publication, so you have the opportunity to support the online community by taking a peek. If you are one of the first 200 people to subscribe, you receive the first issue free. It’s $14 per year for all four issues of Delight, one for each season.

They have a section each issue devoted to “indulgent” recipes. In this issue that includes recipes for popovers, bacon-wrapped dates, tiramisu, and mini pavlovas. They also have a section on how to make any meal “healthy and delicious,” so there’s something for every mood. Like Easy Eats, Delight will feature a Travel section devoted to gluten-free finds across the globe. Delight will have a Q&A with a doctor, and you can submit your questions to him/her online. You can also submit your stories about living with celiac disease, and the magazine will feature a different story each issue. Basically the format does not differ so much from that of Living Without, but while Living Without focuses on all sorts of food intolerances and allergies, Delight is just for the gluten-free.

Perhaps the most compelling feature of Delight is the mix of people who produce it: Justina Dean, a wedding photographer; Vanessa Maltin, a GF cookbook author, Director-Manager of a subsection of Health Care for Americans Now, former Director of Programming and Communications for the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness, and a former journalist; Kimberly Beattie, a professional baker and chocolatier who co-owns a gluten-free bakery that creates natural desserts for people with special dietary needs; Andrew Beattie, a chocolatier with wife Kimberly at the GF bakery; Emilia Stark, a GF food blogger living in Finland; and Mary Capone, owner of a gluten-free gourmet wholesale bakery, director of the Wheat Free Gourmet Cooking School, and author of a cookbook on GF Italian cookery. These are exactly the sort of people who you would want to create your gluten-free magazine!

Another step has been taken towards educating the public on Celiac Disease. Danna Korn, founder of Raising Our Celiac Kids (ROCK), has written a book called Gluten Free For Dummies. I’m a big fan of the Dummies series; that’s how I learned my way around a Macintosh. Besides giving you a lot of gluten-free recipes from breakfast to dessert, Korn covers all the practical and emotional ins-and-outs of becoming gluten-free. Korn discovered in 1991 that her child had celiac disease, and at that time there were hardly the resources there are today; Korn figured out a lot of information by herself. She has already authored three other books on the gluten-free lifestyle, but GFFD is probably as comprehensive as it gets. You can read the table of contents and the index on Amazon.

That’s right! An ENTIRELY gluten-free grocery store! If you’re lucky enough to live anywhere near Thousand Oaks, CA, you should pop over Tuesday through Saturday to check out Simply Gluten Free. They carry food, books, gift items, and “Just Diagnosed” gift baskets. Every item has a nutritional label. Simply Gluten Free will even special-order products not readily available on the West Coast and deliver items free to residents of the Conejo Valley. The two owners of the store are a celiac and the daughter of a celiac. Check out their online store as well—they have a nice selection of GF Italian ingredients.

There’s no dessert as quintessentially American as a pie, and in my opinion, there is no better way to eat my all-time favorite vegetable, pumpkin. The British frequently prefer meat, pork, or seafood pies…hearty fare indeed. Whether you like your pies sweet or savory, I’ve tracked down some of the best pie crust recipes from the fabulous gluten-free community for your tasting pleasure. These are not your grandmother’s pie crusts!